Bryson in Thirty-Five Pictures

Today is my husband's 35th birthday.  To commemorate this momentous occasion, here is a look back at thirty-five years of Bryson.

From the very first ...

... to fun birthdays ...

... special days ...

... and changing looks ...

... from one millennium to another ...

... and through big events ...

... lazy, crazy college days ...

... and trips far and wide ...

... new roles in life ...

... to being someone to look up to ...

(sometimes literally)

... we love you, Bryson/Daddy!

We love you for being you.

Happy birthday!

Fun and Games at the End of May

The end of May was all about fun and games for our family.  Amalia got to participate in her first field day, and she had a blast!  

Baylor participated in most of the field day activities, too, and all was well and good until the sky opened up and poured rain over everyone effectively ending field day.

The next day the kids were actually able to swim in my parents' pool, and Mollie got the special job of standing on my dad's back so he could stay down to screw in one of the pool lights.

After they finished swimming, we all came inside to play a little Ticket to Ride.  Baylor had been playing it a bit at home, so it was exciting for him to play with everyone.

He did pretty well, too, in spite of being a little bit of a distracted player.

The next day Amalia played her first game of Clue with Bryson.

Both of them had a lot of fun, and we've all played Clue a few times since then.

We ended our spring with so much fun and so many games, and - lucky us - it has continued into the summer!

Have a wonderful day!

Memorial Day Scouting Event 2016

On the Wednesday before Memorial Day, the kids and I joined other area scouts at our city's veterans' home to give thanks to those who have given their lives for our country and to plant flags on the graves at the veterans' cemetery nearby.  All decked out in their scouting uniforms, we headed over to the veterans' home to help out.  Never having participated in this event before, I unknowingly ended up parking about as far away from the event as possible, but that worked out at the beginning anyway because it meant we had no choice but to walk past the awesome Blackhawk helicopter parked on the front lawn!

It was a medic copter, so the kids were allowed to sit in it and explore a bit.

It was a really neat experience, and I am sure the kids would have loved to have check it out a bit more, but we soon headed on back to join in the festivities.

After a free hot dog dinner, complete with a bag of chips, a cookie, and a glass of lemonade, we chatted with some other scouts and listened to a live band.  The scouting leaders and representatives from the veterans' facility gave a few speeches, highlighting the amazing sacrifices the veterans' and families of veterans have made over the years and how important it is to honor them, then we headed out to decorate the graves.

We grabbed a flag starting tool of sorts along the way, and I am very glad we did because a couple spots were difficult to even break through with the tool.  I handled it most of the time because it was a rusty piece of metal and I didn't want my kids to stab their feet with it, but they each got to take a turn with it.

They were mostly in charge of planting the flags once the holes had been made, and they did a really great job.

Unfortunately, the veterans' home, the pavilion where we ate dinner, and the cemetery were all under a canopy of trees, and not long into the event Baylor started having an allergic reaction to the pollen they were letting go.  After dinner started I had to get him some ice to stem the swelling of his left eye, but in the end it didn't do much good.

Yup, my poor boy got beat up by nature.  The above picture is after several applications of ice; I have a feeling they were all that was between him and his eye swelling shut.

In spite of the allergies, we will probably be back to the event again next year.  It was an important experience, and a great way to give thanks to those who have given so much to us.

We'll just make sure to bring eye drops and an ice pack next time.

Spring 2016: The Art Show

One day this spring, we got a notification from the kids' school saying each of them was going to have one of their pieces of art displayed in the district art show at the high school!  The kids were so excited that art they made in art class was going to be on display, so we made it a point to be at the exhibition.

Baylor's abstract art was on display.  

Then we found Amalia's Wycinanki trees.

The kids were very proud of themselves, and we were equally proud of them as well.

Mother's Day 2016 and a Scrumptious Sunday!

This year we celebrated Mother's Day for two days.  On Saturday, after Amalia's tee ball game ...

... we went to my parents' house to celebrate with my parents, sister, and grandparents.  The kids had fun reading.

Mollie, in particular, needed to rest a bit; she played first base during her game and chased after the ball A LOT.

It was such a beautiful day to be with family.

Baylor and Bryson played Code Master for a while ...

... then Baylor helped Oma make popsicles in her new popsicle molds.

Christine made an amazing cake for the occasion: four layers of vanilla cake with a layer of raspberry preserves, a layer of cream cheese buttercream frosting, and a layer of lemon curd, topped off with another layer of cream cheese buttercream frosting and raspberries.

Seriously, just look how beautiful this thing was!

And yes, it tasted as good as it sounds.

Sooooo many layers of goodness!

Then we played euchre.  I had a great hand, a GREAT hand, but my dad called diamonds and spoiled my loner.  That's the way the cards fall sometimes, though, right?

Before GG and GGpa left, Amalia showed off her new-found skip it skills!  Look at those moves!

Great food, great weather, and great company made for a really wonderful day.

Today - actual Mother's Day - I woke up early to have some alone time and get a few things started before everyone else woke up.  I did some laundry, sorted through the paper a bit, and worked on the dishes a bit, then Baylor woke up a little before 7:30.  He and I had snuggle time on the couch before he started work on his Snap Circuits.

Once everyone was up, I opened my Mother's Day gifts.  Amalia gave me a marigold and some treats she made at school, as well as a card she made the day before at my parents' house.  That's me in the picture holding my marigold and treats.

Baylor gave me a card as well, along with a magnet he made at school; the heart is made with his finger prints, and it's beyond adorable.

Bryson got me an electric pencil sharpener ... just what I wanted!  (Seriously, I really wanted an electric pencil sharpener; we use pencils a lot at our house, and my manual sharpener just isn't cutting it anymore.)

For dinner, I asked Bryson to make a replica of a salad I had while we were on spring break.  (The Honey Sesame Chicken Salad from Mangos Dockside Bistro in Marco Island, Florida, in case anyone is interested.)  I had already made it once, and since everyone seemed to like it well enough I thought it'd be okay to ask for it again.  I even helped make it a little easier to make by suggesting we get some frozen pre-breaded chicken strips to use instead of trying to do that ourselves; it really didn't come out as well last time when I tried.

So he chopped and peeled and tossed.

And weren't the results beautiful?!

Seriously, it was delicious, too!  Even the kids ate it without much hesitation.

So here's the Scrumptious Sunday part of the post ...

The Florida Salad  (based on the Honey Sesame Chicken Salad at Mangos Dockside Bistro)

~ serves two adults and two children ~

1 ripe mango, cut julienne-style
1 lb. of strawberries, sliced
1 24.5 oz. container of mandarin oranges
about 2.5 oz. of spring mix salad
about 15 Tyson Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Strips, cooked
1/3 cup honey
sesame seeds
tortilla strips
cashews

Directions:
1. Lay down a bed of the spring mix salad in each salad bowl.  Add mango, strawberries, and mandarin oranges.  Set aside.

2.  Coat the chicken breast strips with honey, then sprinkle with sesame seeds to taste.  Slice into bite-sized pieces.

3. Sprinkle tortilla strips and cashews over salad, then top with sliced chicken.  Enjoy!

Also:  You can also add some sweet onion salad dressing (like this one) or drizzle a little honey over the top.  (I highly recommend the Michigan Bee Co. honey, found at Meijer and D&W in Grand Rapids.)

After picking up the living room, getting ready for bed, and reading a little bit, the kids took a picture with me!  I am so proud to be their mom!

All in all, it was a great couple days, full of love and warmth and laughter.  Motherhood isn't always the easiest job, but I wouldn't trade it for anything on this earth.  A and b, I love you so much!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

That's What They Said: Special days

(As I was hugging her after an "it's a snow day" revelation when I went to get her up for the day ...)
Amalia:  Mooooom!  I am uncomfortable!
Me:  Oh, sorry.
Amalia:  Mooooom, I am fragile!
Me:  (chuckling)  Oh you are?
Amalia:  Yes, I am fragile.  Everyone is fragile, Mom, because there is only one of each person.



Amalia:  Mom!  Did you know that we might see (classmate)?!
Me:  You mean while we are in Florida?
Amalia:  Yes!
Me:  (Classmate) is going to Florida for spring break, too?
Amalia:  Yes!
Me:  Is (classmate) going to Marco Island?
Amalia:  (indignant)  I don't know!  He is going to regular Florida!
Me:  (smiling)  Regular Florida?
Amalia:  (exasperated)  Yes, regular Florida.  I asked him which Florida he was going to and he said, "Regular Florida".
Me:  (smiling)  Okay.  Well, maybe we'll see him.



(After getting a tooth pulled at 9:00 p.m. on a school night ...)
Baylor:  (tearfully)  Guys, I am sad.  That tooth was my favorite.
Bryson and I:  Aww, buddy!
Baylor:  (still a bit upset)  And, wait ... which one is your sweet tooth?  Do you just have one tooth that is sweet?



(The morning of the first day of spring break ...)
Baylor:  I am as excited as a guinea pig on the first day of school!!!